Opening/closing apparatus for vehicle door

• US 20050285717A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Takeshi, Ieda, Kiyokazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,333,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.72
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2669 on door or boot handles lighting devices for vehicle interior on door handles B60Q3/267
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2009 Antitheft state indicator
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/10 Illuminating devices on or for locks or keys; Transparent or translucent lock parts; Indicator lights
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

An opening/closing apparatus for a vehicle door includes: a door handle secured to an outer surface of the vehicle door, the door handle being manipulated by a user for opening and closing the vehicle door; an operation detecting portion for checking whether the door handle is manipulated to open or close the vehicle door, the operation detecting portion being provided in the door handle; a controller establishing locking and unlocking conditions of the vehicle door on the basis of user'"'"'s intensions; and a light emitting device provided in the door handle, the light emitting device being driven by the controller to emit light beams to and away from the outer surface of the vehicle door depending on the respective conditions of the vehicle door.

Claims

1. An opening/closing apparatus for a vehicle door comprising:

a door handle secured to an outer surface of the vehicle door, the door handle being manipulated by a user for opening and closing the vehicle door;

an unlocking condition detecting portion for checking whether or not the door handle is manipulated by the user to open the vehicle door, the unlocking condition detecting portion being provided in the door handle so as to be opposite to the outer surface of the vehicle door;

a first light-emitting portion provided in the door handle and emitting a light beam to the outer surface of the vehicle door; and

a controller, establishing a wireless communication with a mobile system held by the user to recognize the user, the controller causing the first light-emitting portion to emit the light beam controller bringing the vehicle door from its locked condition to unlocked condition when the unlocking condition detecting portion is indicative of the user'"'"'s manipulation of the door handle to open the vehicle door.

2. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a locking operation detecting portion for checking whether or not the door handle is manipulated by the user to close the vehicle door, the locking operation detecting portion being provided in the door handle so as to be oriented away from the outer surface of the vehicle door; and

a second light-emitting portion provided in the door handle in order to emit alight beam away from the outer surface of the vehicle door,

wherein the controller establishes a wireless communication with the mobile system held by the user to recognize the user;

the controller bringing the vehicle door from its unlocked condition to locked condition when the locking condition detecting portion is indicative of the user'"'"'s manipulation of the door handle to close the vehicle door, the controller causing the second light-emitting portion to emit the light beam when the user is recognized to be outside the vehicle.

3. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the locking operation detecting portion, the first light-emitting portion, and the second light-emitting portion are integrated into a switching module.

4. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the switching module is formed into a sealed structure for fluid-tight.

5. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the locking operation detecting portion is in the form of a human detection sensor of electrostatic capacitor type.

6. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second light-emitting portion is located for user'"'"'s easy recognition of the locking operation detecting portion.

7. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the second light-emitting portion is so located as to surround the locking operation detecting portion.

8. An opening/closing apparatus for a vehicle door comprising:

a door handle secured to an outer surface of the vehicle door, the door handle being manipulated by a user for opening and closing the vehicle door;

an operation detecting portion for checking whether the door handle is manipulated to open or close the vehicle door, the operation detecting portion being provided in the door handle;

a controller establishing locking and unlocking conditions of the vehicle door on the basis of user'"'"'s intensions; and

a light emitting device provided in the door handle, the light emitting device being driven by the controller to emit light beams to and away from the outer surface of the vehicle door depending on the respective conditions of the vehicle door.

9. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the controller includes a recognizing portion that is in communication with a mobile system held by the user for an recognition thereof, the controller recognizes the user'"'"'s intension to unlock the vehicle door on the basis of a detected condition of the operation detecting portion when the recognize portion recognize that the mobile system approaches the vehicle, while the controller recognizes the user'"'"'s intension to lock the vehicle door on the basis of another detected condition of the operation detecting portion when the recognizing portion recognize that the mobiles system has moved outside the vehicle.

10. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the operation detecting portion includes at least an unlocking operation detecting portion and a locking operation being operated to detect the user'"'"'s manipulation of the door handle with his/her intension to unlock the vehicle door, the locking operation detecting portion being operated to detect the user'"'"'manipulation of the door handle with his/her intension to lock the vehicle door, the unlocking operation detecting portion and the locking operation detecting portion are provided in the door handle so as to be opposite to and oriented away from the outer surface of the vehicle door, respectively.

11. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the controller, when recognizes that the mobile system approaches and moves outside the vehicle, drives the light-emitting device to emit light beams away from and to the outer surface of the vehicle door, respectively.

12. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 11, the controller drives the light-emitting device to emit the light beam in one of continual and intermittent modes when the controller detects that the vehicle door is unlocked or recognizes that the mobile system approaches the vehicle the controller drives the light-emitting device to emit the light beam in the other of continual and intermittent modes when the controller detects that the vehicle door is locked or recognizes that the mobile system is outside the vehicle.

13. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the operation detecting portion includes a sensor electrode to detect a body of the user, thereby detecting the manipulated condition of the door handle.

14. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the operation detecting portion includes a switch, thereby detecting the manipulated condition of the door handle.

15. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the operation detecting portion and the light-emitting device are integrated into a switching module.

16. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the switching module is formed into a sealed structure for fluid-tight.

17. An opening/closing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the light-emitting device is located for user'"'"'s easy recognition of the locking operation detecting portion.